Friday night was the first truly traditional restaurant we have been to in Ethiopia. The food was very similar to meals we have had in the past, consisting of local favourites like injera and lamb tibs. It was the show that accompanied the meal that made the Habesha 2000 restaurant really stand out. Ethiopians are fantastic dancers – whether it be at the club or a restaurant like this, they continue to surpass my expectations.
After a fantastic meal Friday night, we departed for a three-day hiking trip Saturday morning. Ethiopia is known for its beautiful landscape, especially the Simean Mountains, which the largest mountain chain in the country and one of the largest in all of Africa. It is a very popular and expensive tourist destination, due in part to the flight that needs to be taken from Addis Ababa to access the mountains. Because of budget constraints, we decided against going to the Simean Mountains, and instead visited a closer mountain range after a recommendation from friends.
The Ankober Mountains are a hidden gem in Ethiopia, with an emphasis on the hidden aspect. They are located less than 200 km from Addis Ababa. The last 40 km of driving to the mountain took over 3 hours on a bumpy little dirt road making this destination unattractive for most tourists. After almost 6 hours of driving, we arrived at the Ankober Palace Lodge, which was where we were staying for the next two nights. There were only 10 rooms at this lodge. It was located on the top of a mountain, and took about 15 minutes of uphill climbing up stairs to reach the lodge. The inconvenient drive and tiring trek up the mountain was well worth it once you got to see the spectacular views.
Between Saturday and Sunday, we hiked over 40 km of breath-taking terrain. I did not see one other tourist for the duration of our stay and it was great to be able to interact with locals. Even though none of them spoke English, a simple smile and wave is universal. It was also great to have our knowledgeable tour guide with us to translate and answer the ample number of questions we had. It was amazing how friendly everyone was. We were invited into homes. We were offered local fruits. One old man even insisted that we take turns riding his horse in one of the mountains.
One of the funniest moments was witnessing a very young boy (probably around four years old) leading five massive cows through the mountains by himself. He had a little whip, and was making sure those cows did not get out of line. We also got to witness an amazing grasshopper migration on Sunday. The sky was filled with millions of grasshoppers. It is very hard to describe how interesting the sight was – I had never seen anything like it in my life.
After two great days of hiking, we departed home early Monday morning so we could teach our class in the afternoon. Despite a nice sunburn and some pretty sore legs, we had a fantastic time at the Ankober Mountains!